Separated Together
by mockingjaypatroni
Summary: Please enjoy my first ever story! Katniss and Peeta get themselves in a time tangled situation, ending up at Hogwarts. They create a close bond with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but that could get them into a dangerous and deadly situation. Rated T for mild language, violence, and minor adult themes.
1. Twisted in Time

**PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE FEEDBACK. Hope you like my first story! It will get a little more suspenseful as the story goes on. Rated T for some minor adult themes and mild language.**

It was a normal day. Harry and Ron were in the Gryffindor Common Room, reading the Daily Prophet right in front of the fireplace, it was a very cold day for They were reading an interesting article about the new Bludger from Quality Quidditch Supplies when Ron's eyes drifted to another article out of interest, as he was the Keeper, not the Beater, of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. "Oi, Harry! Look at this!" he exclaimed, and Harry focused his vision to where Ron pointed his skinny fingertip.

"Moody's missing?" questioned Harry. In the beginning of the school year, Moody had rescued him from the wrath of the Dursleys and taken him safely to his godfather Sirius' house. Moody was a great Auror as far as Harry knew, it was very surprising that Moody had suddenly just disappeared by using a time turner.

On April 3, 1997, British Auror, Alastor (Mad-Eye) Moody has used a time turner and has mysteriously disappeared. The time turner had formerly belonged to the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Minerva McGonagall. "Alastor just dropped by to use the time turner for an investigation in the past of a long dead serial killer [Elmer Hitchcrate]," insists McGonagall, "I don't have any further information about it."

But Nymphadora Tonks, a fellow Auror alongside Moody, says that Moody left for Eastern America, near North and South Carolina, which is the region of the birth of the serial killer, Hitchcrate. "He said he was going there, at least, I was with Moody when he Apparated. He could have gone anywhere," confesses Tonks. "I was told he would be gone for only a day."

Further examinations for Moody's disappearance will take place. If you have seen any trace of Alastor Moody lately, please contact the Ministry immediately.

Harry crumbled up the newspaper and threw it in the fire, where he was stretched out in front of, Ron kneeling next him. The fire spat a few times and crackled orange sparks across the room, pecking at Lavender Brown, who scoffed and strutted off with her nose in the air. "This is unbelievable," growled Harry, who had been in a somewhat bad mood all school year.

As he blew the fire to try and retrieve the paper before it burned to ash, Ron said in a rather raspy voice, "I dunno, mate. I think Moody went somewhere other than the Carletta's, whatever they're called. Because of, you know, how there's all this suspicion, and then he doesn't even show up for...it's the seventh today, right?" Harry nodded. "Yeah, well he's only supposed to have been gone for a bloody day, and was gone for three."

"Four," Harry corrected him, picking at his fingernails.

"Whatever," Ron continued. "Like I said, Moody's been suspicious. I don't really trust him. When, or if he comes back, I'll hex him as soon as I see him."

Harry looked up, a little offended, because he had a sort of liking for Moody. "Don't you think that's a little harsh? I kinda like him."

Ron chuckled. "Or should you say, liked."

He said it under his breath, but Harry noticed. As he opened his mouth, Ron eyed him, so Harry closed his mouth shakily and reluctantly. The situation was already putting Harry in a bad mood, he didn't want to take all his fury out on Ron just because they had different opinions about a small conflict. Well, the conflict wasn't exactly small, but the opinion difference wasn't.

Harry yawned, and pulled himself up slowly and cautiously. "I'm going to the dormitory," Harry said, then realized he hadn't seen Hermione after dinner. "Hey, where's Hermione?" he asked Ron, who was stretching and getting up too.

"Oh, she went to see Professor McGonagall after dinner," Ron said simply. "She didn't tell you?"

Harry groaned. He wasn't really annoyed with Hermione, he was just in a bad mood. "Nope, she didn't tell me anything," Harry said, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm going to bed. Good night."

"'Night, Harry," Ron said, and he left the fireplace to chat with Seamus.

The next morning, on Saturday, Harry awoke and tried to get dressed without waking up Ron. He was in a better mood than yesterday, having realized that he shouldn't judge Ron's personality or how Hermione was always in a rush for everything. He noticed that Hedwig was sitting by his window, with a letter. When he moved forward to get a closer look, he forgot that the carpet ended near the window, and the wooden floor creaked, waking up Ron with an abrupt jump.

"Wha-what's going on? Is there a murderer?" Ron found Harry and shrieked, hiding his head under his pillow. "Please, just get it over with." His voice was muffled with his head buried, but Harry could somehow make out what he said.

Harry came forward and poked Ron with the tip of his wand. "Hey, Ron. Get up."

His friend still didn't get up, but he whimpered and cried, "How do you know my name? Have you been-"

Ron's sentence was never finished because Harry flung the pillow off of his head, accidentally smacking Neville in the face, who was just waking up across the room. "Oh, sorry, Neville," Harry said apologetically. When Ron finally perked up the courage to turn his head and face Harry, he sighed.

"Oh, um, uh, yeah...bad dream," Ron whispered.

"No kidding," breathed Harry. After an awkward silence, Harry said, "I just got a letter."

"Who is it from?" asked Ron.

"I don't know, because you woke up and threw a big hissy fit!"

Ron's ears turned pink. "I said I was sorry, okay? Let's see that letter."

Harry sighed and crossed over to Hedwig, who was still somehow calm and collected after the small ruckus Ron had caused. After a little scratch at the top of her head, he retrieved the letter. The writing on the front was a little smudged, probably because it was raining outside, but the bold and inky words were still legible. To H. Potter, from N. Tonks, it said on the back of the envelope. Harry instantly tore open the letter, which startled Hedwig, causing her to fly away. Harry shrugged. He walked back to his bunk and flopped down on his back.

"It's from Tonks," Harry implied. Ron nodded slowly.

The letter said:

Hi, Harry,

If you've read the article in the Daily Prophet, you should know that Moody is missing. So if you haven't, drop this letter and read it or else you won't understand what I'm saying. Now that you've read it, I need to tell you something that wasn't written in the Prophet.

One is that I have talked to Moody before he left, and while I was by his side while he was using the time turner, he spun the device backwards. I don't know why, but Moody could have gone forward in time, and he might not be able to figure out how to get back. Instead of going back 157 years, he may have gone forwards for 157 years.

We need to get Moody back. No wizard has ever traveled forwards in time (that made it back anyway) so it is very crucial that we stay alert of how Moody is doing. For all we know, he could be in danger, but I'm also not completely sure if he turned it backwards. It looked like it, anyway, because his hands were turning counterclockwise.

Before you get annoyed with me, I also want to say that I didn't tell Moody about it because Time Turners aren't built to go forwards in time. I could have just been imagining things, and if a charm was put on it, nobody around us could have the power to change it. It may seem easy to charm a time turner because of its size, but time is a huge thing to control, and only the greatest wizards have ever changed it. And as amazing as Moody is, he isn't capable of charming something that big. That's why I didn't tell him.

Now that my suspicion has grown more disturbing, I'd like you to help me, Sirius, and Remus, because we are trying to get Moody back safely. Please send me an owl back, and if you agree, you may take five friends with you to help. We will arrive and you will travel by hippogriff.

Sincerely,

Nymphadora Tonks

"So...what's it say?" asked Ron, who was reluctantly avoiding the reading over Harry's shoulder.

Harry scoffed. "Take the damn letter, Weasley," he joked, shoving it into Ron's hands.

Ron gave Harry a look of false offense. "I see how it is, Harry. We're calling each other by our bloody last names now." Then he gave a tiny chuckle and read the letter. When he was done, he slowly walked backwards to his bed and sat for a long moment, staring at the ceiling. Harry awkwardly stood by the window, waiting for Ron to return to his normal self. All of a sudden, Ron jumped up.

"Harry! I have a theory, but it's bloody mad, you probably won't agree with me!" he shouted.

A couple yawns could be heard a few yards away, where Seamus and Dean were waking up. Seamus saw Harry and Ron bright and lively, rolled his eyes, and shoved his head back under his pillow, probably trying to fall asleep again. Dean, however, stayed awake, blankly staring into a space at the wall, completely ignoring the ruckus.

Ron's ears turned pink. "Er, sorry guys. I'm a little excited right now," he said, sitting back down on the bed slowly.

"Just be a little quieter," muffled Seamus through his pillow.

"Right," said Ron. Harry put his hand on his forehead and shook his head slowly, as if Ron had embarrassed him. Which was probably the case. When the other boys stopped paying attention, Ron continued.

"So, Hermione wasn't in the Common Room yesterday because she met with Professor McGonagall. She was saying it was important business with another Auror. It could have been with Moody! Wait...you know what, never mind." Ron looked down at the floor. "I probably sound really stupid."

"Not the first time you have," said Harry. He snickered a little bit, and Ron gave a smile.

"C'mon, Harry, let's go find Hermione." Ron quickly changed and they left the dormitory to the Great Hall.


	2. Hermione's Dilemna

Hermione was flustered at breakfast. She had no control over anything. Her juice was spilled all over her plate, the pancakes were cut drastically uneven, and her Transfiguration essay (loosely tucked in her ear) looked as if she had carelessly folded it up, ending up slightly torn. Whenever she talked, she spoke fast. This worried Harry and Ron a bit, but they were suspicious this could have to do with her visit with Professor McGonagall.

To keep it safe, Hermione decided not to say anything about what happened with her visit. But then again, even if it was supposed to be top secret, she would always end up telling her friends anyway. But this time...it could put the wizarding world in danger. And spoil time, possibly make a time paradox. She didn't want to ruin the world until eternity, but Harry and Ron could keep secrets. The trio only kept them between their triangle, and nothing more, nothing less.

But what happened, it was too serious. It could be very hard to tell.

 _Twelve hours earlier_

Hermione shuffled through the hallway. "Sorry...excuse me...out of the way…" she would say apologetically as her puffy brown curls bounced behind her. By the time Hermione got to the Transfiguration classroom, she was out of breath, a trickle of sweat came down her forehead. She took two fingers and gently wiped the clear drop away.

Professor McGonagall was at her desk, grading papers. When she heard Hermione's feet patter into the room, she tilted her glasses up and looked at Hermione, who still looked a bit out of shape. "Ms. Granger, are you alright?"

The fussy seventeen-year-old put her hand on her professor's desk and shifted her weight. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, I just was in a rush. I was going to be late!"

"You were instructed to arrive at eight thirty, it's only a quarter past," McGonagall pointed out.

Hermione laughed a little bit. "Yes, well, I like to arrive fifteen minutes early for everything so I don't have to worry about everything as much.

"In my opinion, that puts a little more worry on your shoulders, don't you think?" joked the professor. Hermione didn't take it that way, so when she didn't laugh, McGonagall continued on. "Well, I suspect you want to know why you're here," she said. "So please, sit."

She stood up and dragged a chair from the corner of the room in front of her desk, where Hermione slowly and steadily sat down, her hands folded in front of her. Her teacher did the same, and spoke loud and clear. "Have you heard about Alastor Moody in the Prophet?" she asked. Hermione shook her head. "Well, I'll tell you then." As she spoke, Hermione listened intently, leaving her questions for the end.

When the story was over, she asked, "But, how could he have that lack of logic? He could just travel back to the same time he left. Unless he…" she trailed off. "Do you think he's...dead?"

McGonagall shook her head. "I don't think so. Moody went into a very safe environment to where he traveled. Or at least he thinks so. But, the time turner will also send a signal to a wand that is connected if the user of the time turner dies. And as far as I know, he isn't. Tonks hasn't said anything, anyway."

"Tonks' wand is connected?" asked Hermione. "Does she have anything to do with it?"

McGonagall sighed. "I'm afraid so. She thinks that because Alastor may have turned the time turner backwards―so he may have ended up in the future and not in the past."

Hermione stuttered, "But that's not possible, professor, time turners aren't built that way!"

"Who told you that? There is no proof," stated McGonagall, who smiled and winked, which Hermione didn't understand since she was the only person in the room.

After what seemed like a long silence, Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "So, why did you bring me here?"

"Oh, yes, that...well, Hermione," she spoke steadily. "in all of the thirty-eight years I have taught at Hogwarts, I have never came across a student except for you that I have let use a time turner. I know that you are responsible enough to handle it...so I want you to go and try to use my time turner and find Moody. Bring him back. Whatever has happened now...it's probably gone wrong. You can even bring a friend if you'd like."

"But I have to study! For everything! My O.W.L.s are coming up! And I won't have a perfect attendance! Why can't you just do it?" Hermione panicked. She didn't like this idea at all.

"I can't do it. I'll be traveling around the Carolinas to find evidence of Moody's movement, and asking some elders if they know anything about Moody coming along. If I can't find anything, he may as well had moved into the future. But it will be easier to have you as a backup, already being in the future. Besides, you can have a time turner with you, and I'll allow you to go back and forth between your classes, just like in you did in your third year."

"Okay, I'll do it," said Hermione. "But didn't Moody already have your time turner?"

As if on queue, McGonagall lifted up a chain with a sphere with rings around it. "It's always nice to have a backup." Hermione smiled. "So, are you willing?" asked the professor. Nod in return. "Good. Meet me in twenty-four hours time with your friend chosen, and we'll be off. I can apparate us to the Carolinas."

Hermione had never been to America before, but she was a little excited to go there. "Thank you, Professor," she said, and left, feeling very confident.

In the end, Hermione decided to tell them. But not now. It wasn't the time.

"Hermione, are you okay?" asked Ron, confused of how strange she had been acting.

"Oh, yeah...I'm fine. I'm just a little flustered from the upcoming O.W.L.s, you know, that stuff…"

Harry spoke up. "Hermione, O.W.L.s aren't for two months. You don't start studying that early, do you?"

"What? No! It's just a little freaky where they're kind of coming up," Hermione insisted weakly. Almost immediately she started poking her fork at her french toast, which was now just the white part, since she ripped off the crust (completely not normal) and looked pretty mutilated while being soaked in syrup.

Her two friends eyed her suspiciously. Usually Hermione seemed pretty open to conversation, but now she seemed like she was hiding something. When she noticed the boys looking at her, Hermione decided to tell them right away. It couldn't hurt anyone anyway, right? One of them was bound to go forward in time with her anyway, so what did it matter?

Hermione took a deep breath. "Okay, well, I'm keeping a secret from you...it hasn't been that long. Only since eight fifteen last night. But...it's very important...so you both can't tell anyone."

"Okay," said Harry and Ron in unison.

She eyed them. "Are you sure?" She tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned in so that nobody could hear their conversation. Now Hermione seemed much more tense than before.

They both nodded. "Okay," said Hermione uneasily. "So...do you two know about the whole time turner business with Moody?"

"Yeah, in the bloody Prophet," said Ron.

"Okay, well, Professor McGonagall called me over for that," she said, taking a deep breath before and afterwards.

"You already told me," said Ron, turning red as soon as he said it. It was pretty pointless, he probably just said it to get Hermione's attention. He did, but she gave him the evil eye. What else would she do in return?

Hermione took another deep breath, as she was scared. She told them about everything McGonagall told her. Harry seemed a little speechless (probably out of jealousy―he was the Chosen One!) and Ron was worried. "So…" she continued, "I'm allowed to bring one friend―"

But she was instantly cut off by both Harry and Ron, the first saying "I'll go!", the other saying, "Take me!" but Hermione couldn't tell right off the bat who said which. It was logical, however, to find out based off of their personalities.

"Well…" she said. _Why was she always pausing in the middle of her sentence?_ "I think I want to take...um...well...Harry, you've already gone...so...Ron? Will you go with me?"

Harry instantly objected. "Hermione, why can't we all just go? I don't want to be all by myself!" Hermione snickered. So did Ron, when he realized why, even though he really didn't understand why he was supporting the idea.

Hermione said teasingly, "Harry, you've got Ginny. She broke up with Dean a few days ago, didn't she?" Then she laughed out loud. "Now she's all yours."

Ron interjected. "But just don't do anything weird, okay? Oh, and yes, Hermione, I'll go with you. But seriously, Harry, please don't do anything suspicious in the Common Room or wherever."

This made Harry turn crimson. "I won't! We don't even have a thing going on, okay?"

At the same time, Hermione and Ron said, "Oh _of course_ you don't." Hermione seemed a little more enthusiastic, Ron was annoyed about the fact that they were trying to leave him single while his _younger_ sister wouldn't be.

"Okay―" Hermione coughed laughter, "Let's get back to the original subject. Harry, is it okay with you if I take Ron? I think that would be fair, you and I went to the past, Ron and I go to the future?"

"I think that's fine, I guess," sighed Harry. "Have fun."

Ron, who was sitting next to Harry, patted him on the back. "Don't be pissed. Remember, we can easily come back at the time we leave...unless you want to spend some alone time with my sister."

Hermione laughed again. She thought this subject was hilarious, and she wasn't usually into drama or anything, but this was very absurd since Harry and Ron were best friends and Ginny was Ron's sister.

"I mean...you don't have to come back right away…" Harry said slowly.

Ron's ears turned pink as Hermione got up and left laughing, probably headed to the bathroom. "I'll be back!" she shouted, choked up in laughing tears. Harry shook his head and placed it on his bent forearm.

"Bloody hell," Ron said, smiling widely. "She must really think you fancy her."

"I swear, it's not that much," said Harry. He looked across the table and noticed Ginny taking a glance at him. Harry instantly moved his focus back to Ron. "She's kinda cute and all, but everyone likes her...and I don't really fancy her as a whole. Plus, she's your sister."

Ron shook his head, and grinned even wider than before. "So you're saying now."

Harry gave Ron a playful punch. "Whatever. I see how you look at Hermione. You fancy her a hell of a lot more than I do towards your sister."

Very red in the face, Ron got up. "I'm going to Charms, okay? I have some extra work for getting a Dreadful on my exam." In reality, being a Saturday, Ron was going to read the Daily Prophet from today and find any more clues or evidence about Moody's time turner business. And he didn't need Harry, even Hermione, to help him this time. No, he was all on his own, just the way he had wanted to do his past 6 years being a student at Hogwarts.

Hermione was in the bathroom, splashing water onto her face. She didn't understand why this dramatic scene was so funny, but she knew that it was always funny to see Harry in love, which he could never be capable of in his tough early life. When she thought about it this way, it seemed very sad, so the tears of laughter turned to tears of sorrow.


	3. Off to the Future

**This chapter is more suspenseful than the others, so hopefully you will all like this chapter better. Enjoy!**

After dinner, Hermione went to the Gryffindor Common Room to wait for Ron. As usual, she was fifteen minutes early, so Ron wasn't there yet. She brought a tiny rose gold velvet handbag filled with all of her belongings she would need for the night, or nights, really. Luckily, Harry was in the Common Room, so Hermione decided to talk to him. After explaining the agenda of the trip to the future to Harry (he really didn't pay any attention) he asked, "What's in there?" pointing at and nodding towards the bag.

Hermione smiled a little. "Oh, just all the things I'll need for the trip." When Harry's jaw dropped, she added, "It's a spell. It would probably take up about half this room if all of the stuff was taken out." She pocketed the velvet purse in her jeans and patted it out of nowhere, just for good luck on the trip. Secretly, Hermione hoped that she would be closer to Ron, bringing them into a small romance.

"You are so brilliant, Hermione," Harry said, which probably sounded stupid, since he and Ron had probably told her that exact phrase thousands of times in their lifetime. Since an awkward silence came up, Hermione sighed. So did Harry. Just then, Ginny passed them. "Hi, Harry," she whispered as she lightly touched his shoulder. Harry looked back at her and gave a tiny wave, and when he turned back, he was smiling and blushing a bit. Hermione, after thinking deeply about this situation, rolled her eyes instead of laughing.

Another silence. Hermione crisply looked up. "So Harry! Enough about my plans, what are yours for when Ron and I are gone?" She scooted forward in her chair, resting her chin on the palms, which were outstretched from her elbows resting on her knees, looking directly at Harry, seeming very interested at what he could potentially say.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed. When he continued, he instantly blushed more furiously than ever before. "Well...I've talked to Ginny. We're going to take a walk by the lake tomorrow morning. Hopefully Ron's okay with it." He shifted uncomfortably, but was grinning widely just like his friend did the other day.

Hermione noticed a tall, freckled figure with flaming red hair walk into the room. "Speaking of Ron," she said, and nodded towards him. He strutted into the room (which Hermione found quite attractive) and sat down next to her.

He carried a huge trunk and a blanket folded and draped over his shoulder. His wand was hanging out of his front jean pocket. Out of her disgust of Ron possibly losing his wand, Hermione grabbed and stuffed it in her pouch, which was probably about half the length. "Ron, you should really learn some of these charms," she said. "You definitely need them a lot more than I do."

"Bloody hell, Hermione! You just broke my wand!" shouted Ron. He snatched the pouch away from her and stuffed his hand in it, searching for the wand, only expecting broken splintered bits. But there was a full, complete wand inside, as well as some other large things that couldn't possibly fit inside a small pouch. Ron retrieved his wand, but then put it back inside the bag, and opened it up. There was a blanket, some wooden chairs, a table, a sleeping bag, a luggage, and even some schoolbooks inside. (He realized that those weren't really surprising, Hermione loved her books.)

Ron looked at Hermione with his mouth open. His hair seemed to stick straight up. "How does all of that fit in there?" Hermione giggled, Ron sounded so baffled he may as well could have been a Muggle.

"You idiot, it's a spell," she replied. "It's in one of our spellbooks. Haven't you read it?"

"Now that you've known me for six years, you should know that I never study in any of my bloody textbooks," said Ron. He realized he hadn't even said hello to anyone yet. So he took a deep breath and said, "Oh yeah, um, hello, Hermione." He turned to Harry. "Hey mate,"

Hermione and Harry looked at each other, and they both burst out laughing at the same time. Ron sat there, looking at them, and he chuckled, too. After calming down for a little while, Harry asked, "So, how long will you two be away?"

Ron looked at Hermione. When she didn't look back at him, he turned to Harry and shrugged. "However long you want us to be."

Harry shrugged, too. "I dunno, probably like a day. Yeah. That'll be okay. That's all I need." he thought that he would like to get to know Ginny a little bit more, before he really knew his true feelings for her. He glanced back at her. She was sitting with Luna and Neville, probably telling a joke because her small trio was laughing. For some reason, Harry felt like Ginny could have forgotten what they had scheduled for tomorrow. She probably had better times with her friends than she ever would have with him. The thought was absurd, so Harry pushed it away.

"Are you okay, Harry?" asked Hermione. He realized he was showing a bit of a down expression on his face from his recently disturbing thought.

"Oh, yeah. Um, I'm fine," said Harry quickly. Hermione and Ron looked at each other, and then they both turned to Harry. Harry looked at his two friends. "So...you wanna say good bye now?" he asked.

His two friends got up and took turns saying good bye. Hermione hugged Harry for a long time. "It's going to feel so long to be away from you...but you probably won't miss us," she said. "Unless Ginny gets annoying or something, but that probably won't happen, she's such a nice girl...but please have fun, Harry...I wish I could write to you…" She didn't cry, but she was very concerned that something would happen between Harry and Ginny (taking evidence from last year's relationship with Cho) and she knew how Harry got when he was upset.

After the hug, Hermione sat on the couch so that Ron would say good bye. Unlike hers, his goodbye was a nice pat on the back and a quick, "Take care, mate," and it was over.

Hermione and Ron left, walking down the changing stairs on the way to Professor McGonagall's classroom. "I really hope Harry's going to be okay," said Hermione.

Ron put his arm around Hermione and gave her a quick half-hug. "He's gonna be perfectly fine, he's with Ginny, remember?" Even though that was supposed to reference what Hermione had said earlier, she didn't really think it was funny. But she smiled and shook her head anyway, letting Ron know that she knew he was trying to make her cheer up.

They stopped at the bottom of where a staircase moved them, and figured it was the right hallway, so the two went where it lead. About ten doors down there was the Transfiguration classroom, and only Hermione remembered exactly where it was, so she had to lead Ron inside when he slipped past the open door. At the end of the long classroom sat Minerva McGonagall once again at her desk, but this time, she was opening her desk and retrieving a hold time turner.

The professor heard their footsteps and looked up. Then she smiled as she put on her glasses. "I see you have brought Mr. Weasley with you today, Miss Granger," she said.

When she didn't say anything, Hermione guessed McGonagall wanted a response, but she didn't really know what to say, so she said, "Um, yes. I have." She walked up to the desk. "So, is there anything we need to know before we go?"

McGonagall gestured for Ron to come forward, so he did. "I'll just tell you the agenda," she said. "So first, we'll Apparate to Raleigh, which is a city in the Carolina's region. Then you two will test out the time turner. If it works, you will stay. If it doesn't, then the time turner will probably break. And yes, I'm okay with it breaking, Miss Granger, before you get too excited, but yes. That is our plan. I can tell you that it is possible for you two to die, but I'm sure there were plenty of times that you both have been close to dead, so I should assume you are used to it now." She smiled, even though the thought of Hermione and Ron being dead wasn't very funny.

Both students didn't smile, but Ron said, "We _are_ pretty damn―sorry, bloody used to it." He gave a nervous laugh. Hermione and McGonagall just looked at him like he just declared that he was really a chicken. Ron opened his eyes wider and looked away.

McGonagall continued on. "So, shall we go now?" she asked, seeming to have brushed off the thought of Ron's use of language.

Hermione and Ron nodded. They all held hands and all closed their eyes (for no apparent reason), and they felt themselves being stretched from their current location. Then it looked like everything on the entire planet was whizzing around them, but only for about half a second. In the blink of an eye, the three were standing right in a forest, off the edge of a road. Puzzled, the two sixth years looked around.

"Are you sure we're in...the Carolinas?" asked Hermione, who started to slowly wade her way through the trees.

"We're in Raleigh, North Carolina, to be exact," declared the Professor. "The only thing is we're on the outer edge of a road in the middle of nowhere. And sorry, I wasn't thinking of a very specific pla―Well, I mean, I was, but this isn't the very exact place he was, but you guys can do a little walking, right?" she asked. Her students nodded, even though Ron seemed a little reluctant.

Hermione and Ron sighed. There wasn't much else to talk about. For a minute, they all just stood there, listening to the rustle of leaves against the wind. Then McGonagall pulled out her time turner. "Just to make sure, you both know where you're going? Turn the time turner backwards exactly one hundred and fifty seven times. Yes, it goes by years and not hours, this time turner is special. If it seems to not be working, we'll know it and we'll stop."

She handed them the golden gadget, but Hermione looked solemn, like she didn't want to perform the act. "This can't work," she said.

"Of course it can!" exclaimed Ron immediately. "Why wouldn't it?"

Hermione seemed to have gone burning red. "It's not even logical! Don't you think it's odd, that after all the years they've been around, that nobody has never even tried to turn them backwards? It just...doesn't make any sense." She sat down on a log and covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry," she muffled through her fingers. "It's just...so rewarding feeling as though we had done something for the first time, but it might not be! And don't you think it's dangerous, nobody even came back to tell the tale after they've left! We could just be trapped in space and time, never to be seen again!"

With a concerned look on her face, McGonagall exchanged looks with an equally worried Ron. "Hermione, it's fine. You're thinking too hard about this," said Ron, trying to calm her down. He sat next to her on the log and put his arm around her. "It's going to be okay," he whispered.

His friend stood up and wiped away her tears (not of sorrow, of anger) with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. Then said, "You're right. Let's just get this over with. I'm not going to die."

McGonagall slowly and awkwardly handed her the time turner. Ron stepped forward. "I'll turn it!" he volunteered.

Hermione stepped in front of him. "No, I'll do it." She turned her head towards Ron. "You'll only make a larger fool of yourself than you already are," she teased.

"Very well," said McGonagall. "Here you go, Hermione.

"I should be off now. I don't have much time in my case compared to yours, so I'd best be on my way. Miss Granger, you know how to function a time turner. You can lead the way." Without another word, she Apparated somewhere else.

Hermione sighed. "Are you ready?" She asked Ron.

He gulped. "I think so."

Hermione smiled and said sarcastically, "Whatever. Your opinion doesn't matter." She took the chain and slung it around both of their necks. She was about to turn the time turner, but she added, "Don't distract me while I do this. This is super important." Ron nodded slowly.

Then she spun the time turner one hundred and fifty seven times, and everything around them seemed to speed backwards.


	4. Hopeful Sparks

**I'm really sorry I haven't posted in a while. But I'm glad that a couple people have enjoyed my story, so please comment for feedback, or if you want me to write more stories! I may not post very consistently, but I will try to get the next chapter in by the next two weeks.**

 **Now you may proceed to read. :)**

Harry knocked on Ginny's dorm room. In an instant, she opened it, who was standing in a plain plaid shirt and jeans. She put a smile on her face (Harry didn't know if it was forced or not) and gave him a hug. "Why, hello, Harry," she said. "You ready?" Ginny held out her hand.

"Yep, let's go," replied Harry. He took her hand. It was a strange feeling, he had never held her hand before. It was smooth and lukewarm. They walked down the hallway in an awkward silence. _What are you doing to yourself?_ Harry thought. _Say something interesting! Ask her a question!_ "So, we're going to the lake, right?" he asked stupidly. _Of course, you're going to the lake. Where else?_

Ginny gave him a strange look. "Yeah...we are."

 _Damn it, that was lame._ "So...you just want to talk? While we're there, I mean."

"Of course," said Ginny. "Um, Harry…" she trailed off. "I invited Luna to meet me there, too, if that's okay with you." She let go of his hands and put them in her pockets. Then she stopped walking, and so did Harry.

Harry dropped his eyes away from Ginny's face. He thought she was kind of pretty, the deep redness of her silky hair, her sparkling brown eyes, the way her freckles stood out on her cheeks. He didn't know if he was attracted to her yet, but Ginny was pretty damn sexy. At least he thought so.

"Hello? Harry?" Ginny waved her hand in his face. Harry must have been lost in this thoughts. Maybe he was in love with her after all.

"Oh, sorry, Ginny, I was just um...thinking. And yes, that's okay with me." _What are you thinking? Ginny's not going to talk to you! There is no way you are having any deep conversation if Luna's here!_ Harry took her hand again and they continued walking. This 'date' wasn't going so well.

Hermione and Ron stood in what seemed like a worn down, dusty road. There was a dead end of the road, where a small wooden house laid. There were a few houses looking similar down the road, equally worn down, with faded and chipped paint.

The people standing on their porches (more likes platforms) and walking down the road looked somewhat strikingly skinny. They both were concerned for this matter, but Hermione was concerned about their health and Ron worried about the lack of food in general.

As they walked further down, they noticed a small building with a sign hanging down, which said: **D STRICT 12 BAK RY.**

Ron sighed in delight when he saw the bakery. It may have been worn down, but all he could picture was freshly sliced bread and delectable pastries. "Wanna grab a quick eat before we set off for Moody?" He pointed at the bakery with a pleading look in his eyes, which made Hermione feel absolutely helpless with her opposing point in the situation.

"Ron, you are such a pig," Hermione said, giggling. "But yes, we can go. I'm a little hungry myself. " She thought that his eyes were quite handsome when there shined with anxiousness. That was the main reason she gave in, but she was still a little hungry.

"Thanks, Hermione, you're the best," Ron told her, and he put her arm around her as they walked in. Hermione put her arm across the back of his waist since she was too short and Ron was too tall for her arm to go across his shoulders.

But as soon as they walked in, Hermione stopped them both in their tracks. She cupped her hands to outline her mouth and whispered in Ron's ear. "What if they have a different currency now?" It was so stupid of her because she knew even Ron hadn't thought about it.

Ron groaned when Hermione told him. "Bloody hell, what are we supposed to do now?" he said a little too loudly. The few people standing on the sidelines of the bakery walls turned and stared. A boy with pale blond hair and quite a buff build probably around their age went inside the door that most likely lead to the kitchen.

"D'you suppose he works here?" Ron asked Hermione.

"No, Ronald, I think he's just a random person who walked into the kitchen," replied Hermione sternly and sarcastically. When Ron didn't understand she said in a calmer, more sincere tone, "Yes, he does work here."

They waited uneasily, but then Hermione put her hand on Ron's shoulder and turned him to the door. "Maybe we can get something to trade later if it's still in style." They both snickered silently.

But a call stopped them in their tracks. The blonde boy came out of the door with a man who looked just like him except he was probably 30 years older and had more wrinkles. He also looked much less happy than the boy. Hermione decided that the older man was his father. "Come here!" The older man shouted, pointing out Ron and Hermione with both of his hands. The pair stepped forward.

"Can I help you sir?" asked Ron, but then Hermione slapped him on the shoulder.

"Are you from District 8?" asked the older man. He had a very heavy American accent, or it may have just seemed like it, given the fact that Ron and Hermione were British, "Because if you are I can report you and the Peacekeepers will come and take you away, probably not back to District 8 but to be executed at the Capitol."

"What makes you think we're from there?" exclaimed Hermione, who was just trying to go along with the conversation and putting on her best American accent.

The younger boy put his hand on his forehead and sighed as if Ron and Hermione were very stupid, and his father just decided to keep talking. "Look at how well clothed you are! You can't be from here."

"Well… We are from here," said Hermione uneasily. "And we would like some bread."

"Is that so?" asked the older man, who was most likely the baker. "Well then. What will you give me?" When Hermione and Ron just stood there, he added, "To trade?" He seemed very impatient.

Her face perked up after a second of comprehension. "Oh!" Hermione exclaimed cheerfully and abruptly. "I almost forgot...of course…ha...silly me…" she searched through her handbag, and even though it looked peculiar to the baker and his son that she was looking deep inside a small pouch, they decided not to say anything. When she finally found a large Muggle book, Hermione retrieved it and set its dusty pages on the counter. "Here you go, _War and Peace_ , by Leo Tolstoy. Quite old, but, I've probably read it over a hundred times, it's very good."

Ron looked at Hermione funny, but he just held his breath and kept his false mood face firmly glued on. He had never read _War and Peace_ , all he knew was that it was a Muggle book that was over a thousand pages long. But he saw that for himself.

The baker, however, was not impressed. "Nice try. Something else. _Useful._ " He pushed the book back to Hermione and brushed off the dust on the table.

If she were in her normal comfort zone, Hermione would have instantly objected, but she held herself back and placed the book back inside her pouch. Then she unwrapped the wool scarf from around her neck and placed it where the book had been. "Better?" she asked.

The baker held it at arm's length away from him, as if it were a dead rat. Then he nodded slowly and handed the homemade knitted scarf to his son, who turned away and headed towards the kitchen. "Better than squab, I'll tell you that," said the baker truthfully.

He then went into the kitchen, most likely to make the bread (which was strange considering it wasn't at a window by the counter) with his son. A few minutes later, he came out with a long paper bag with a beautiful piece of freshly baked risotto inside. It smelled delicious to both Hermione and Ron when they inhaled the scent and sighed in awe.

"Thank you!" said Hermione while Ron said quickly afterward, "Yeah, thanks." Then they left the bakery, both picking out delicious chunks of oven baked bread.

Harry and Ginny arrived at the lake. Nobody was there except for one other Hufflepuff couple, but they were both on the other side of the large body of water. They walked around in silence, and eventually sat at the edge to dip their feet in the water. Harry and Ginny took their shoes off and soaked their bare feet. Again, they didn't say a word to each other.

This made Harry think about his parents. He wondered if they would have ever thought that he would be allowed to go on dates like this while still being a student at Hogwarts. He was in his sixth year, so it wouldn't have been against the rules, or at least he thought so, but his parents did start dating in their seventh year. Then again, James had been hitting on Lily since the fifth year. How he would mess up his hair to look as if he had gotten off his broomstick...that brought Harry to think of Quidditch.

Harry knew he wouldn't have been the youngest Seeker in a century if it weren't for his father. But he could imagine how much better he would have been if his father were there, so he could be trained by a former player. Then he could have won earlier than it usually took him. All of this deep thought made Harry realize he was staring at his reflection in the water. He remembered from the memory that he saw in his fifth year of his father and how he could see the resemblance so much. As he stared at the blurry face of his mirrored in the water, he imagined the face he saw with hazel eyes and without a scar, and could see his father.

"You must really want to know what it's like to have parents," said Ginny, poking Harry's upper arm, as if she was reading his mind at the moment.

Harry sighed. He wanted to look up at her and spill out all of his emotions to her, but he just kept staring at the lake and said, "Yeah, I do, sometimes," he said. Normally Harry would have dismissed this topic, he barely even knew his parents and would have never cried over it. But now that he thought hard about it, he felt a lump develop in his throat slowly and a little painfully.

"You know, it's kind of sad. Not ever knowing them or what they're like," Ginny said. "I mean, you did know them for a year of your life, but surely you don't remember."

It was strange, that for once this topic was really hard to talk about. "Yeah. If they were alive, none of this 'Boy Who Lived' and 'Chosen One' crap would have happened. Then I could live like a normal teenager just how everyone deserves," Harry said. _And you probably wouldn't have noticed me if they were alive_ Harry thought. He didn't say that, obviously.

Ginny patted Harry on the back. "I can't imagine how it feels, Harry. It's just amazing how you can live through this, I mean, I know you weren't traumatized by your parents' death since you were too young to remember, but I mean, being put under all this pressure about the prophecy, and all the fame, that's a lot to take in." She stopped and sighed. A moment later, she suggested, "You know, if you ever feel bad about anything, just remember that I'm always there for you. And Hermione, and Ron, and everyone else. I just don't want you to ever feel like you're left out."

Harry smiled slightly. "Thanks, Ginny," he said. He put his arm around her, and she didn't seem to mind at all.


	5. Reaping Rescue

**I apologize for the long wait. The chapters may come slowly now, but the story will take a while to complete.**

 **I also take requests. if you want me to write some romantic one-shots with couples I ship, or if you have any other requests, please review and let me know! Also give feedback on the story. They make me very happy. Now continue reading and please enjoy!**

Hermione and Ron sat under a tent they made in the middle of a prairie. The huddled next to each other wrapped loosely in a blanket, munching on the soft pieces of the bakery bread. It was truly a pretty wonderful loaf, and it felt very safe to sit there, with a protection charm to make them invisible and muted to people outside of their (literal) personal bubble.

Hermione took the last piece of bread (which annoyed Ron intentionally) and scooted to a position so she could face him. "So," she began, eating up the last crumbs of bread, "We have to search for Moody today. If we don't find him, he could be gone somewhere else. _Sometime_ else."

"Okay," said Ron, who moved forward a little closer. "Where do you want to start?"

Hermione usually had great ideas, but she was out. Then she noticed something gleaming through the tent. From the outside. She slowly stood up, and poked Ron's shoulder. "What is that?" she asked.

"What?"

"That shiny object through the tent. See it?" Hermione looted into the bottom left corner of the tent.

Ron turned around. "Oh," he said a little quietly. "Your time turner, right?"

"No, Ron, it's right around my neck!" Hermione sighed, but she still seemed a bit panicked as she wiped a trickle of sweat from her forehead. "I mean, it _is_ a time turner, but it's not mine."

"Let's check it out," Ron said. Before Hermione could say anything, he climbed out of the tent and saw the time turner. He shouted to Hermione, "Who d'you suppose the time turner belongs to?" He hung it around his neck and crouched back into the tent. Hermione seemed passive about his entry. "Did you hear me?" Ron asked her.

Hermione had her nose in a book, and it had only been a few seconds ago where she was up and alert talking to Ron. "Mm?" She looked up as if Ron had just appeared out of nowhere. Then she noticed the time turner around Ron's neck. "Ron!" Hermione yelled, which was a little too loud, because once Ron was sitting comfortably in the tent, a pounding noise came from outside the tent.

"OPEN UP!" shouted a loud, demanding voice from outside. It sounded almost bloodthirsty. Hermione used a dash and a variety of spells to silently clean everything up. It took longer than the person outside the tent's patience could handle, so they ripped the tent open and stepped inside, widening the rip in the tent even more.

Ron screamed, forgetting the American accent: "Bloody hell! What are you doing in here!" He had a reason to be scared, Hermione was crouched down, behind Ron's shoulder, shuddering off a salty mix of sweat and tears. The mysterious person from outside the tent was a person completely covered in a white metal armor that made them seem like a robot. It was hard to identify the gender of the figure, as it was completely clad in the white armor.

The white figure held a baton, and slowly approached Hermione and Ron. "What are you doing, away from the Reaping!" they yelled, as they raised the baton. All of a sudden, Hermione fainted, so Ron came up with an idea, but he had to try his foreign dialect, which seemed passive enough this time.

"Sir-ma'am-uh…" Ron didn't know the armored figure's gender. The figure sighed and removed their helmet, revealing a middle aged, stern, chiseled, face with a buzz cut. _So it's a man_ , thought Ron. When the armor man lifted the baton again, Ron shouted, "NO! DON'T STRIKE!" He started panting, which turned into tears.

Luckily the tears only lasted a few seconds, which gave Ron time let out a couple gasps. "I'm sorry, sir, but she's sick!" Ron lied. "My...sister. She's been sick for a few days now, and she wanted me to stay with her, and she has a really contagious sickness...so….we couldn't attend the um, ah...Griefing."

"Reaping," muttered the baton man, trying to determine how Ron and Hermione looked anything alike to be related.

Ron let out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't know, you see, we're new here-"

"How can that be true? Who's in District 12 stays in District 12!" shouted the baton man.

"Yeah, I know, we were born here, we were born here, but, er, we're siblings...uh-twins, in fact,"-The baton man raised an eyebrow, like he was trying to interpret what Ron was saying,"And we were raised by parents who hid with us in secret places away from the social world. They died a couple months ago from the same sickness my sister has now, so we don't want to start, you know, and epidemic."

The man lowered his baton once more and sighed. He then took a flask with a white liquid from somewhere inside his suit and handed it to Ron. "Give that to her. Within a few minutes she'll be back to normal and then I'm taking you two to the reaping. Then, due to your ignorance, you both are under a ten-thirty curfew until further notice."

Ron awkwardly fake force-fed Hermione, but she was very cooperative somehow, being knocked out, and was great at acting out her sickness, so it wasn't very hard. Though Ron suspected Hermione only drank a few drops and let the rest fall down her chin. The baton man seemed not to give the least bit of worry. He retrieved the somewhat empty flask and dragged the pair by their collars onto their feet, which woke Hermione up. Ron secretly mouthed to her, _Act sick._ She comprehended his message and did what she was told. They walked straight out of the tent.

After about a minute of walking outside of the tent, Hermione got tired of walking like she was sick so she started to walk normally again. Ron, using his usual lack of brains, asked the baton man, "So, what are you exactly?"

It wasn't possible to tell if Ron was getting shot a dirty look through the deeply tinted mask, but the man told him, "I'm a Peacekeeper. I keep the District in line."

"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione, whose voice was obviously high and fake. "DIstrict Twelve, right?"

The Peacekeeper sighed. "Gosh, how ignorant are you two? Yes, you're in District Twelve. Just to be sure you two know what's going on, the Reaping is an annual event where one boy and one girl are randomly selected to participate in the Hunger Games, which is a fight to the death." This made Ron and Hermione terrified, but they winced back their shocked expressions.

"Now come on, we're at the square." The Peacekeeper still had his fists clenched tightly on Ron and Hermione's collars, so he threw Ron where a lot of teenage boys were and Hermione with teenage girls. Then he walked like a soldier to a line of people wearing identical suits like his and stood as straight as a stick.

The place was like a big layout of a rock concert, only everyone in the crowd had a terrified look on their face, and there was no band playing. Instead, the stage was preoccupied by a man who looked pretty drunk and a woman with poofy pink hair, which made her stand out from everyone with her thick makeup and flaring outfit. She had an annoying voice, and was making a speech.

"...so let's start with the Reaping, shall we?" she was saying. "So as usual, ladies first!" She daintily walked over to a huge, round, glass vase. Inside the vase were thousands of tiny slips of paper. The lady stuck her hand inside it for a few seconds, and everyone in the crowd seemed to inhale at the same time. She plucked a slip out of the vase and read out a name.

"Primrose Everdeen," announced the woman, happily, like there was nothing wrong with picking up and random child and forcing her to die.

Everyone turned and looked at a small girl who looked maybe eleven or twelve years old. She slowly walked toward the audience.

The rest of the event seemed like a blur, coincidentally to both Ron and Hermione. Another girl who was around their age did some sort of volunteering for the small girl, and then the older girl somehow was now fighting to the death instead of the younger one. The boy chosen was the same boy at the bakery, and then they held hands, bowed and left the stage. Just like that.

This was wrong. Hermione knew just fine that this was cruelty, child abuse, and she wasn't going to let these completely innocent (as far as she knew) teens get killed. When the audience retreated, Hermione sprinted to Ron. They both ran away, all the way to the tent. Hermione put a _Protego Totalum_ spell on the tent so that nobody else would find them, and then she started to cry. "We've got to save them, Ron. We have to!"

Ron awkwardly put his arm around her. "Hermione, it's okay. You know what?" He turned away and grabbed his backpack. Then he pulled out a nice embroidered cloth. When he hung it around his shoulders, his body disappeared.

Hermione gasped and hugged Ron. "That's brilliant! How'd you get it?"

"Harry let me borrow it," he said simply. "If you want-"

"We can sneak out and save them!" Hermione finished. She wiped away her tears and kissed Ron on the cheek. "But we still need to find Moody."

Ron sighed as if he had forgotten. "You're right. Bloody hell, how will we have any damn time?"

Even though she flinched when she heard the word 'damn', Hermione smiled and pointed to the extra time turner they found in the tent earlier. "Don't be stupid. We have all the time we can get." The two were silent for a few moments.

Then, very suddenly, Hermione shouted, being very excited. "The time turner! Ron, the extra time turner!"

Ron was confused. He held up the circular golden object hanging around his neck. "What about it?"

Looking very frustrated, Hermione took the time turner very aggressively from around Ron's neck and he held it up in his face, as if it were hard to see any inches further away. "Ronald! Don't you see? This is _Moody's_ time turner!" she shouted. "How was I so stupid to even not realize that? I mean, what other witches or wizards would be here? It was probably left behind! I mean, the only magical people here are us and Moody. We have to return it to him!"

"Oh!" Ron said, pushing the time turner away from his face. "So that's what's been holding him back, right?"

Hermione sighed in annoyance. "Ron, I know he didn't return after a long time, but something else must be forcing him to arrive back to 1997 later. We have to return it to him!"

"Well, we need to be absolutely sure it's his," said Ron.

Hearing this, Hermione whipped out her wand and cried, "Occupantus Revelio!" A sudden image erupted from the time turner, like a transparent floating film. The iridescent screen showed none other than Alastor Moody, who was walking along a fast moving train with two teens that looked familiar. They were the ones that were 'reaped' as these people called it.

"Ron, let's go turn it in to him!" shouted Hermione. "Then we can save those people, and return Moody's Time Turner!" She kissed Ron's cheek again, which made him turn very red, but he decide not to respond to her action, that actually made him delighted.

"But how are we going to get there?" asked Ron. "I mean we can't apparate-"

Hermione smiled, but she seemed very rebellious this time. "This is why we can break the rules, Ron. It's urgent, and we're not even in the wizarding world anymore. This is a futuristic Muggle world."

Ron sighed. "Okay, you're acting a little bonkers. But yeah, I guess we can Apparate. Can I-"

Hermione interrupted him. "Hang on, there, Ron! There is no way in hell that you are Apparating. It's bad enough that you lost your eyebrow once, so it would be better to not risk anything and let me do it. Um, no offense."

"Whatever you say, since you're the brightest witch of your age," muttered Ron.

"Why, thank you," responded Hermione as she draped Harry's invisibility cloak over them and held Ron's hand. She let her mind take them to a completely different place.


End file.
